Here’s the thing. If you want someone else to tell you each step in a process so that you’re sure you’ll succeed – you will always be limited to predictable results. You will still be tied to what is commonly considered a practical, realistic outcome.
Get it? No?
If I join a weight loss plan, and eat exactly what they tell me to eat, use their metrics for measuring my food, be it a calculation that only they understand or a package that they’ve determined is a meal, then I will be limited to the results that someone else’s plan or package can deliver. Going forward, I’ll be tied to that program to maintain my weight.
If I take a position at a company and if I use their job description as the sole metric for what I’m going to do on a daily basis, then I am forever tied to that position. I will not be demonstrating that I’m ready for another position and forever more, if I want to understand if I’m successful, I’ll be tied to that static definition of success.
So What?
Well, for starters, I’ve hemmed myself in. In an effort to avoid disappointment, I’ve constrained my possible outcomes. Because I’m only going to follow one path, because I’m going to measure my food against an unchanging plan, because I’m going to measure my job performance against a static scale, the number of possible
Let’s look at the opposite.
If I create my own weight loss plan, it’s possible that I’ll find a formula that creates weight loss. In fact, as long as I never stop taking action – planning what I’m going to eat and eating exactly that – measuring results and then adjusting – I will drop weight. I will also build internal confidence in the weight loss process because it arose from inside myself. I’m also more likely to lose faster than my friend on a plan, because I won’t be limited to someone else’s schedule or process. I’m also more likely to lose slower for the same reason. The number of possible outcomes has expanded in every way.
The same for my job. If I believe that it’s up to me to define what my responsibilities are, I’ve just blown open the doors on possible outcomes in my career as compared to a person who is measuring themselves against a someone else’s yardstick or job description.
It’s easy to see in the weight loss example because pounds lost per week is immutable. When we talk about job performance, the results we measure seem murky and, we don’t get to track our progress on a weekly basis easily in one number. However, the process is the same. I define a set of actions that I imagine will create the job results that I want. I take those actions consistently, then I measure where I’m at. I tweak my actions and repeat the process.
For instance, I might decide that I’m good at and enjoy task completion. I want my job to include completing tasks quickly and often. So I set up a course of action. Every Monday, I’ll consider what results I need to achieve by the end of the week – say one report created, two reviews done, five hundred lines of code or one project promoted – whatever it is, then I break that down into tasks about a half hour in length each. I double check the tasks against my calendar, modulate the quantity so that it’s achievable and start checking off the boxes for each task. At the end of the week I measure my output, my job satisfaction, etc. Did I love the feeling of completing tasks? Did I get the result I wanted from this? If not, I evaluate why, adjust and try again. In time, I should be plowing through tasks and creating results efficiently. If I’m the kind of person that loves that type of work process, my job satisfaction should go up. If I work in an industry that appreciates that type of work process, then I should see my performance scores or salary go up. If my industry doesn’t value high task completion, then I may see my performance scores go down or my salary stagnate. Then I can decide what action to take next. Either way, the possible outcomes for me at work have expanded in every way. I am now in control of the results I get at work, I have confidence in my ability to define my job and achieve the results I want, all of which should translate into less uncertainty about my ability
Task completion is a pretty simple example. You can apply the same thinking to leadership or technical prowess. Look at your skill set and find the things you’re great at, which are likely to be the things you love to do. Then ask yourself, how can I deliver results while maximizing use of these skills? Then plan those actions into your week and measure your results.
My friend who wanders into her boss’s office each week for a list of tasks is working in a way that our society tells us is less risky. That’s not true. She has reduced the risk of making a mistake, but she’s increased the risk of missed opportunity. She has less of a chance of building confidence, creating an enjoyable work experience and less chance of exemplary achievement. There’s an argument to be made that she’s traded her potential for stability. However, that argument is shaky given that we don’t know how well her boss assigns work and how long the job she is currently doing will remain viable. Should she lose that job, she will most likely only feel confident in seeking the same job elsewhere. And in knowledge work… the jobs we were doing yesterday are often obsolete today.
So What is the Take-Away?
When you define your process, you own the results. And that my friends, is pretty powerful mojo.
Monday Blog Redux
If you noticed, I posted the same blog content with 2 different pictures.
That, my friends is a fail, and I’m leaving them up to honor my fail.
I was running late, and uploaded the same blog, rushing, trying to keep my commitment to putting up a blog every Monday… had I put up nothing, that would be a quit.
That said, move on to the real blog – 3 secrets about work.